The configuration of computer systems is a very complex task, especially in an enterprise with many different servers, client devices, network devices, and peripherals. Within the enterprise, different goals or applications may have conflicting requests for certain settings or resources. In some server operating systems, for example, several hundred settings within the server may affect the security configuration of the server.
An information technologies professional may be responsible for making sense of the various settings and configuring the devices to meet a company's goals for usability and for other, often conflicting goals.
In a security related example, security settings may compromise usability. For example, an application may use a set of interface ports for communicating with devices on the Internet. When certain ports are open, a server may be vulnerable to attacks. The information technologies professional may balance the security goals with the operability goals of the application.
The sheer number of configuration options for operating systems and the many different applications that execute on each device may make selecting and configuring the options overwhelming to even knowledgeable experts in the field.